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Friday, December 28, 2012

VaYechi 5631 Fourth Ma'amar

After Ya'akov requests of his son Yosef to bury him at the burial site of his forefathers he asks him to take an oath, "ויאמר
השבעה לי וישבע לו וישתחו ישראל על ראש המטה/(Ya'akov) said, 'Swear to me.' (Yosef) swore to him and
Yisrael bowed at the head of the bed." (Breishis 47:31) Two questions arise. Why did Ya'akov find it necessary for Yosef
to take an oath? Surely Ya'akov trusted
that Yosef would do everything in his power to fulfill his father's
request. Secondly, what is the
connection between the oath and bowing at the head of the bed? Why are these two events in the same pasuk? This leads to an additional question. Why did Ya'akov bow at the head of the bed?

Rashi on this pasuk
explains the head of the bed represents the fact that all of Ya'akov's children
remained true to their upbringing. Even
Yosef who was a king (the head of Ya'akov's bed) in Egypt and was even previously
captured and lived among gentiles remained true to his forefathers and his
traditions.

How did Ya'akov know
that Yosef was able to internalize the traditions and pass them on to his own
progeny even as he led a life as king in the house of Pharaoh?

Ya'akov knew this from
the oath. How so? What is the significance of an oath? Is it simply a verbal commitment? The Chiddushei HaRim teaches us that an oath
is much more than that. Oath in Hebrew –
שבועה– has the same root
as the word for seven – שבעה. We
each have seven primary character traits.
An oath implies bringing all of the seven primary character traits –
ones entire being – to bear upon a decision, a commitment. An oath is therefore a very serious matter in
Jewish tradition. Both Ya'akov and Yosef
understood this and took it very seriously.

Ya'akov Avinu wanted
to know that his descendents would remain true to his traditions and deserve
the redemption. The oath was the
mechanism that Ya'akov used both for understanding Yosef's essence and for
passing on to him his own spiritual essence that allowed him to remain true to
God even in Egypt. Through the oath Yosef revealed his total
essence to Ya'akov.

Chazal teach us that
Yosef inherited Ya'akov and that it was in his merit that we were redeemed from
Egypt. Chazal[1]
teach us that because Yosef resisted the temptation of Potiphar's wife, he
influenced the entire nation to refrain from illicit relations. Chazal continue that in the merit of this we
were redeemed. Furthermore, Chazal[2]
explain the pasuk, "הים
ראה וינס .../The sea saw and
fled …" What did the sea see? Chazal teach us that the sea saw the bones of
Yosef. Yosef fled from Potiphar's wife
so the sea fled from his bones.

The Zohar[3]
states that when God foretold to Ya'akov that, "ויוסף ישית ידו על עיניך/and Yosef will place his hand upon your
eyes," He was telling him that Yosef would be his heir. The Sfas Emes explains that this is referring
to inheriting Ya'akov spiritually. The
mechanism for this inheritance was the oath.
Through the oath Yosef opened his entire essence before Ya'akov. He was able to cleave to Ya'akov with his
whole being. He was thus able to receive
the aspect of Ya'akov which enabled him to live in Egypt without being affected by
Egyptian society.

When Ya'akov
understood that he had a spiritual heir who would be able to influence the
nation for good even as they lived in decadent Egypt, he realized that his bed was
complete – his progeny would continue his traditions – and he bowed "at
the head of the bed".